Mineral Surface Directed Membrane Assembly |
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Authors: | Martin M Hanczyc Sheref S Mansy Jack W Szostak |
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Institution: | (1) Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA;(2) Present address: ProtoLife Srl and the European Center for Living Technology, Venice, Italy;(3) Department of Molecular Biology, and Center for Computational and Integrative Biology 7215, Simches Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, 185 Cambridge Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA |
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Abstract: | The transition from non-living to living matter may have resulted from the self-organizing properties of organic molecules
and their interactions with a chemically rich inorganic environment. We have shown that a solution containing RNA, fatty acids
and clay produces structures that contain a potentially catalytic surface (clay) and a potential informational biopolymer
(RNA) encapsulated within a membrane. This highlights the ability of mineral surfaces to bring together and organize key components
of primordial life. We have extended our analysis of mineral-mediated vesicle catalysis to include other natural minerals
and synthetic surfaces of varying shape, size, and charge density. Our results show that while RNA polymerization on minerals
may be restricted to the surface environment provided by montmorillonite, vesicle formation is enhanced in the presence of
disparate types of surfaces. A model is presented in which new sheets of amphiphiles form just proximal to a surface. Similar
interactions between amphiphiles and minerals on early Earth may have resulted in the encapsulation of a diverse array of
mineral particulates with catalytic properties. |
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Keywords: | amphiphile fatty acid micelle mineral montmorillonite pyrite RNA vesicle |
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